A branding firm held a fast-paced and interactive three-day workshop this week with Hardeeville residents, officials and stakeholders.

Based on the workshop, Arnett Muldrow & Associates made suggestions Thursday for a new message the city can use to market itself to visitors and enhance community pride. More than 100 people attended the various closed sessions, open houses and stakeholder meetings.

The firm plans to make its presentation available online for more public input and to send the city a more comprehensive package of digital and print proposals and marketing suggestions in the next six weeks, Hardeeville downtown development manager Chris Damgen said.

From there, a local steering committee of City Council members will create a list of steps to implement the city’s brand over one-year and three- to five-year periods.

The workshop was one of the initial steps in Hardeeville’s branding project. The city allotted $15,000 to $20,000 from its general fund last year for research.

“(Thursday) night, it was a draft of what the brand could be,” Damgen said. “…Based on reaction, they hit the nail on the head.”

Audience-specific workshops started Tuesday with a session on leadership, followed by sessions on tourism and real estate. The fourth session was open to all residents.

On Wednesday, the firm took photographs of people and places to capture the community’s character. Its presentation began before Thursday’s City Council meeting.

The firm’s Ben Muldrow and his team members started by collecting different color palettes and combining them.

“We wanted to be able to create colors that are currently seen throughout the community, but (also) colors we want to see used over and over again through future growth,” Muldrow said. “These colors allow for some variety and energy.”

Typeface was next on the list of priorities. They showed a primary typeface and a second “very classic serif one.”

The firm plans to pair Hardeeville with two Upstate cities it has previously worked with, which have similar sizes, economies and demographics. Hardeeville officials will be able to consult with those cities’ leaders and ask about their branding projects to avoid making unnecessary mistakes.

“We’d like to think our overarching strategy makes sense,” Muldrow said, “and that we’ve come pretty close to being right in the bull’s eye.”